Today was almost totally consumed with the hunt for a welder/machine shop. I figured I would start at Freedom Bike Rentals, a bike rental company owned by an American and a Frenchman in downtown Quito. Syovain, the french half of the team, was extremely helpful and even brewed us all esspresso shots.

The shop he sent me to decided that the job wa too big and complicated; however, they pointed me towards a muffler shop a few blocks down the road.

As soon as I pulled into the shop, I noticed that they had a mig welder, drill presses, oxy/acetalene torches, bench grinders, pipebenders, steel cutters, and various other actual legitamite tools that are generally lacking in the average Latin American metal shop. Most shops down here consist of some dude with a half broken Lincoln tombstone stick welder and a hacksaw.

The workers were quite happy to help and by this point I've become quite good at explaining bike problems in Spanish, so explaining what I wanted was actually quite easy.. I suppose that's not a good thing. I busted out my tools and started disassembling the rack.

It's funny, but the bike actually looks pretty nice without all of that steel tubing hanging off the side.

I then took out my round file (glad I brought that) cleaned up the break.

After zapping the break with the mig welder, we got down to business and added about 10 pounds of gussets to the rack. I had to supervise and explain that:

1) Yes, we should sand off the paint before we start welding
2) No, 2 small tack welds on each gusset is not enough
3) Yes, I want you to go back over the holes that you made with the welder and fill them in

Despite being the best welders that I've had the pleasure of working with thus far, their work left a lot to be desired. Apparently running a bead around the entire length of each gusset was too much work, and therefore impossible; however, I bagered, cajoled, and pleaded with them enough that we were able to work out a solution. In the end, I think we created a monster. I'll warn you, it doesn't look pretty, but I'm crossing my fingers and praying that it will hold:

I had them add a significant amount of gussets on the inside of the rack as well. Highlighted in red are some of the extra bits that we added today...

After we finished up the welding, I had them sign my tank and take a picture with me.

And then they told me the price: $60. I was shocked. I told them that that was a little bit expensive for the quality that I had recieved. They just shrugged their shoulders and repeated the price. I really should have negotiated that before hand. That was definetly not $60 worth of quality welding. Oh well.

After paying up, I split down to the hardware store and bought some black spraypaint. Then it was back to the Hostel for a graphiti party on the sidewalk.

There are now several black outlines of a TCI outback rack on the sidwalk in front of the hostel.....it's better to ask for forgivness than permission. Actually, I don't think anyone really cares down here.

Now the paint is drying and I'm going to bed. I'll leave you with a view of the city from the roof of the Hostel:

Enjoying your report. Can't believe we didn't meet while you were at the Horizons Unlimited meeting in Cambria. I usually gravitate towards fellow "L" riders and ex Marines as I ride an 07 "L" and spent 22 years in the Corp. I rode my Strom down from Bend Oregon to the meeting. Ride Report Here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=840550
I didn't end up staying for the full three days but wished I'd of met you. Would have loved to discuss your trip and your set up on the bike as I'm planning on selling my business in a couple of years and doing the same trip. Can't decide if I want to do it on the XR or the Strom. Funny you stayed in a cabin with with Brad and Harold from Giant Loop. I know both of them here in Bend. I live about two miles from Dave Wachs, the guy that originally came up with the Giant Loop design. Not sure the Giant Loop would have been your answer to your rack problem. I like mine but you can't really secure anything. Box cutter and they're in. I take mine on trips all the time but for what you're doing I don't think it would work. Hard sided for security seems the right option. Ever up in Bend stop by and I'll buy a fellow jarhead a cold one. Keep up the post. I'm subscribed and ride safe.

Semper Fi Mac!

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Errrrr!

Bend?!? That's awesome! I grew up in Hermiston! What unit were you with? I'll definetly stop by Bend when I get back and take you up on that beer!

The XRL has been great on this trip (other than the damn luggage rack), but I think the V-Strom would be great too. In fact, they actually manufacture V-Strom's down here (and DR650s) so it would be much easier to get parts and repairs done. A lot of the Cops ride V-Stroms and DR650s.

I love living vicariously through the ride reports on this forum...and this one is one that I'm especially enjoying!

I really wish I didn't live on an island in the north east of North America (Newfoundland). In order to do something like this I'd have to ride thousands of miles just to get to the starting point of most other riders.

Some day though....some day!

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Thanks! Newfoundland? You should send a PM to kedgi (real name: Dwight). He's from Newbrunswick and he's doing this trip right now. His ride report is "Lobsters to Llamas". He's actually staying here at the Hostel with me in Quito.

After we finished up the welding, I had them sign my tank and take a picture with me.

And then they told me the price: $60. I was shocked. I told them that that was a little bit expensive for the quality that I had recieved. They just shrugged their shoulders and repeated the price. I really should have negotiated that before hand. That was definetly not $60 worth of quality welding. Oh well.

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The dude on the right look like someone pissed in his Cheerios. Was that you?

The dude must not like the mig much:huh It's really neat finding the good shops down in SA where serious craftsmanship is going on. I've seen some amazing machine shops down South.

Yep $60 was way on the high side, +1 on negotiating the price up front, saves the awkward situations.

Enjoying the report, was hoping you'd stay in Colombia and become a regular

So how do you like Ecuador compared to Colombia You had a nice place for New Years and looked like a wild fun party

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Yeah, I got taken. That was way too much money. There were some really good shops in Medellin with real professional machinists and everything; unfortunately, I didn't notice the break until I was in the middle of nowhere ecuador. I'm sure there is probably someone good in Quito, but I was in a bit of a hurry. Oh well.

I was so tempted to stay in Colombia. Excellent country and amazing people! I had to kick myself in the ass to get back on the road again. I need to start riding south again, or I'm going to run out of money sooner than I want....

Ecuador has been cool so far, but I have only been here for two days, so I'm looking forward to getting out of Quito into some of the smaller towns and seeing the sights. But so far, Colombia and Mexico have been my favorite countries.

The dude on the right look like someone pissed in his Cheerios. Was that you?

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No, he just wasn't happy that I kept pointing out his mistakes and telling him to fix them. Maybe that's why he charged me so much. How come you aren't down here to do my welding for me? I did a little bit of MIG today to demonstrate what I wanted; it actually turned out okay.

No, he just wasn't happy that I kept pointing out his mistakes and telling him to fix them. Maybe that's why he charged me so much. How come you aren't down here to do my welding for me? I did a little bit of MIG today to demonstrate what I wanted; it actually turned out okay.

I love living vicariously through the ride reports on this forum...and this one is one that I'm especially enjoying!

I really wish I didn't live on an island in the north east of North America (Newfoundland). In order to do something like this I'd have to ride thousands of miles just to get to the starting point of most other riders.

Some day though....some day!

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Welcome, Axxerd.

Newfies are some of the most interesting people that I have ever met (especially the girls, exiled to drilling camps in Alberta). The only problem is that I could barely understand them--always had to ask them to open their mouths wider when they spoke!

You are right; you would have quite the ride just to get to the starting point.

Sometimes you just know you shouldn't do something, but you do it anyways. I believe the saying is "Old enough to know better, young enough not to care". Dylan, one of the riders who's here in Quito with me, recommended that we take the aerial tram out of town and then do a hike/climb up a nearby volcano.

I love hiking, climbing, camping, skiing, mountaineering, and all things outdoors. However, I figured that this trip would be a little more focused on riding and making miles, so I left most of that gear at home. But when Dylan suggested that we go for a little day hike, I figured why not?

I didn't have a proper back pack, but the little Honda shoulder bag that the Antioquia XR club had given me in Medellin seemed like it would be enough. I also didn't have any proper hiking pants, shoes, or gloves; however, I figured I could just roll in my running shorts and running shoes and stick my hands in my pockets to keep them warm.

We got to the tram at around 9 AM and hoped on board.

As we were riding up, I figured I should at least research what I was getting myself into. I busted out the Lonely Planet South America guide that I had downloaded on my iPhone and checked it out. Apparently the peak was 15,402 feet tall and required a bit of "scrambling".

Well, definitelyly wasn't prepared for that. I looked up at the mountains and realized that I couldn't see them because they were socked in by some dark grey, fast moving clouds. I've climbed a few mountains and I've seen some people get pretty jacked up by not bringing the right clothing and not making good choices (i.e. hiking a 15,400 foot tall volcano in a cotton t-shirt and running shoes in bad weather). There was a little voice in the back of my head telling me that this was not a good idea.....

....whatever. Lets go bag a Volcano!

The tram tops out at about 13,448 feet and the views of Quito were incredible.

I had forgotten to bring any water or food, but figured that I could buy some at the little shop at the top of the tram. Unfortunately, that shop was closed. Screw it. Let's hike! I was making all sorts of great choices.

We started off down the path at a good pace. The wind was whipping clouds over the peak and the summit was totally socked in. You can see the base of the peak on the left in the picture below.

We soon reached a sign informing us that the trail was 4km one way. Well, now I knew how far we were going...

The trail continued along a low grass covered ridge line. It was interesting to be above 14,000 feet and not be in a totally alpine environment.

Despite the brisk wind and cool temperatures, I was sweating up a storm in my cotton t-shirt. I put on my shell and kept trucking. Here's a good shot of Dylan coming up the trail:

As we were walking, I had noticed a large group of people in front of us. Being an extremely competitive person, I typically take a situation like this as a challenge to my manhood and climbing ability; it was immediatelyedietly clear that I had to pass them. So I picked up the pace.....

....and jogged by them while holding my breath, all in an effort to look hard. I nearly passed out after I got by them and started breathing again, but it was worth it. And then I saw three more people in front of me, and was obligated to do it again.

As I approached the rocky portion of the climb, the wind picked up even more and the clouds started getting a little more dense. In the picture below, the summit is way behind the promontory of rock.

After entering the clouds, the trail terminated in some sandy washes and it became an ankle deep slog straight up the north east face.

Eventually the sand gave way to scree and solid rock and it became a little bit of a scramble. The last few hundred feet of vertical turned into a low level class 3 climb. Before we knew it, we topped out on the summit.

By this time I was getting really cold. That cotton t-shirt was totally soaked with sweat and I was freezing. I tried to take off my jacket to put on a base layer and realized that my hands and arms were almost totally numb. My dexterity was almost totally gone.

I fianlly managed to get my jacket off and remove the t-shirt. Fortunately, I had brought a decent base layer, so I slapped that on and then put on my shells and felt a little better. I had Dylan snap the mandatory summit shot for me.

And then it was time to get the hell out of there before hypothermia started setting in! We got some strange looks from the people that we had passed earlier as we came bounding down the rocks.

We eventually reached the sandy washes and commenced with the plunge stepping. Essentially, plunge stepping is kind of like taking huge bounding steps (almost jumps) down hill and letting the sand (or snow, or scree) absorb the impact. It's kind of like a controlled fall. Besides screeing and skiing and glisading, plunge stepping is one of the faster ways to get off a mountain.

Eventually we got back to the trail and I started running to try and warm up. I always to try to run portions of the decent if practical, but now it was a necessity.

Eventually we came out of the clouds and I started warming up. Quito was stunning down in the valley with the sun and shadows from the clouds clashing together.

We made it back to the tram about three hours after we had started. I collapsed into a chair in the lobby and ordered some food while we waited for a ride down; It was time for the recovery drink:

On that way out I saw a rather humours sign:

That really doesn't inspire confidence in the tram. Sometimes Latin humor is a little off.....

Spent the rest of the day napping and putting the rack back on the bike. And that's all for today.

I am so impressed with your hike, Bryce! It always thrills me to do things to the max as well. I hope next time I go to Ecuador to do a backpacking outing, perhaps in Cajas. Glad to see you made the teleferico- I forgot about the trail at the top. Looks like you could ride your bike along much of that trail... I bet that would be a blast. You keep rocking and I hope you get to see a lot more of Ecuador, the best south america has to offer!

I'm still with you in Guatemala, how freaky that speedboat encounter and how unfortunate the slippery roads and other maladies, but can't blame it on the political boundaries as it's all in God's providence. You have a lot of blessings, just remember who to thank. Enjoy, but go light on the space gravy!

Well, I finally managed to leave Medellin. It was hard, but I forced myself to pack up and get out. Before I left I had to have Al sign the tank:

And then I had to get a picture with him and Zach, his manager, and James, one of the Motolobia guys, in front of the Shamrock.

Al, if you're reading this, thanks for the great stay! The Shamrock rules! By the way, you need to start a wall of fame with pictures from all of the overlanders that stop at your bar.

As I was leaving, Byron and Isabel rolled up and took over my room. It was good to see them again. I have a feeling I'll be meeting them again at least one more time.

Getting on the road south again felt good. It was hot out, but my new pressure suit thingamig was working great. After passing quite a bit of stalled traffic coming out of the city, I began to reflect that the double yellow line running down the middle of most roads does not mean "don't pass" but is actually a tiny passing lane for motos.

The ride out of Medellin heading south towards Cali is fantastic. Their is a fairly large climb and then an even larger drop down into a long river valley. Part of the road follows a ridge line down into the lowlands.

Stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant after I finally got to the floor of the valley and ordered "Choripapas", which I figured would be sausage and potatoes, but ended up being french fries and potatoes. Close enough.

After lunch I was blasting south when I saw a couple of riders stopped by the road on a VSTROM 650. I pulled over and said hi and asked for directions. They were taking a break from their riding gear as it was incredibly hot and humid. Once again I was thankful that I had purchased the pressure suit.

After leaving the VSTROM riders, I was coming around a corner when I ran right into a Colombian Speed Trap! Ay Carumba! The cops immediately jumped out into the road and motioned me to pull over. As soon as I had my helmet off, one of the cops came up and started asking for my papers and telling me that I had just been caught violating the speed limit. Blast!

I tried the stupid gringo trick and acted like I had no idea what he was saying; however, he was extremely persistent, so I eventually gave him my fake driver's license, and copies of my passport, importation papers, and insurance. He took everything over to his jefe and they started writing me up. I waltzed over and took a look at their operation. They had a perfect location, just at the bottom of a long sweeping curve where the speed limit dropped from 80 KPH to 50 KPH in the span of a few meters. You can see the curve in the background as one of the coppers scrutinizes my xeroxes:

I was a little pissed, but there wasn't much that I could do. It's not like I've actually been paying attention to speed limits. I don't usually ride much over 60 MPH anyways so it seemed like there was no need. This was also the first time I had seen Colombians using a speed gun. It was pretty legit though. They showed me the laser and replayed the video of me coming around the corner with my speed (88 KPH) pasted across the image.

Well, they got me fair and square. I waited for the discussion of money to begin; however, the jefe took my documents and started writing me a ticket. Well I'll be. I don't have to bribe anyone.

I was still playing stupid so I couldn't really ask him where to pay. Next time I'm just going to try giving them the sad Gringo look. About the same time they gave me my ticket and told me to go away, another motorcyclists on a R1200GS got pulled over. I asked the rider if he spoke English. He did. He then told me he recognized me from yesterday; apparently he had been eating lunch in the restaurant that I stopped at with Juan David, Daniel, and Rafa. Small world. I asked him what I should do.

"Don't pay it. Just get the hell out of Colombia. They aren't advanced enough to have it in the system by the time you cross into Ecuador."

Okay then. I'm not sure if that's the best advice, but I don't really know what else to do. I guess I'll try and figure it out tomorrow.

I hopped back on and continued riding until I reached Santa Rosa. I continued out of town until I reached the Hot Springs, or "Termales" as they are called. Al told me about this place and said it was a must see. There is a huge waterfall at the back of the complex, probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 feet.

My pictures don't do it justice.

Getting into the nice Hot Springs costs 40,000 pesos (about $20). I probably wouldn't have paid that much, but a good soak sounded like a good idea and the restaurant had wifi. Since my Cabana down the road does not have internet, I decided I might as well take a dip and post on the old ride report. So here you go!

That's all for today. If there are any Colombianos reading this that want to give me advice on that ticket, I'd appreciate it. I've got to go, the lady in the lobby of the hotel that I'm pirating this wifi from is starting to give me dirty looks.....